More than a toy, Roominate is a movement designed by three women who majored in engineering, math and science, at prestigious institutions MIT, Caltech, Stanford and Penn. Alice Brooks, Jennifer Kessler, and Bettina Chen developed Roominate, a stackable, customizable dollhouse-type toy that girls build themselves and outfit with working circuits to inspire girls to pursue degrees and careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) because, “Only 15% of female first-year college students intend to major in STEM, and less than 11% of engineers are women.” The innovative trio turned toymakers also want to change the fact that most toys designed for young girls are dolls and princesses. The Roominate Kit comes with wooden building pieces and circuit components that girls may use to construct, design and expand upon their own unique rooms. Watch Roominate come to life in the video after the jump.

Alice, Jennifer and Bettina offer, “We want to inspire your daughters to be the great artists, engineers, architects, and visionaries of their generation. We intend to give them every tool to reach that potential.” The women have been developing their Roominate prototype with over 200 girls ages 5-12, and they note, “Most young girls have never made a circuit, but they love the intuitive experience our color-coded circuits provide. Connecting the circuits brings the rooms to life; a fan or a light can instantly make a room interactive.”

Roominate sucessfully funded their Kickstarter campaign by raising almost $86,000, surpassing their goal to raise $25,000.